Device for packing cigarettes, cigarillos, or similar-shaped articles bearing an imprint



1930. P. GOTTSCHALK 1,747,237

DEVICE FOR PACKING CIGARETTES, CIGARILLOS, 0R SIMILAR SHAPED ARTICLES BEARING AN IMPRINT Filed Jan. 1929 a or/zey Patented Feb. 18, 1930 unrrso STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL GOTTSGHALK, 0F DRESDEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED CIGARETTE MA- CHINE COMPANY AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY DEVICE FOR PACKING CIGARETTES, CIGARILLOS, 0R SIMILAR-SHAPED BEARING AN IMPRINT ARTICLES Application filed January 3, 1929, Serial No. 330,124, and in Germany January 4, 1928.

For the packing of cigarettes, cigarillos and similar shaped articles which bear on one side an imprint, a label or the like and of which consequently the top layer at least must be arranged in such a manner that the inscription or other imprint is directed upwards in order to embellish the appearance of the package. it has been proposed that. in the mechanical process of packing there should be included a manual process in which the articles to be packed each pass in turn before the eyes of the operator and are turned by him either directly or indirectly into the correct position.

The present invention represents in fact a further development of this process. The cigarettes must be fed forward at a comparatively high speed if the machine is to be operated economically. It therefore follows that 700 to 800 cigarettes a minute pass before the operator whose duty is to turn the cigarettes into the correct position, and this fact renders attendance extremely diliicult.

In general practice the cigarette packing machines are so constructed that the various layers of cigarettes, when the package contains several layers arranged one above the other, are each drawn from a special container and fed into the packing machine. Now, in accordance with the invention and in order to facilitate the task of watching and turning the upper most layer, several feed devices which may vary in number but not be less than two are provided for the uppermostla-yer which devices work jointly with similar devices serving for the handling of the lower layer. In this case the arrangement works step by step and double the time or more is available for the correct adjustment of the cigarettes in the uppermost layer.

The drawing illustrates a diagrammatic plan of a form of the invention shown by way of example.

In the drawing. a and a are two funnelshaped containers formed in the usual way, from the bottom opening of which the cigaretcs are drawn individually in any of the usual ways and fed to the conveying devices 6, 6 The cigarettes taken from these containers are intended for the lower layers. The

and correspond to the containers a, 0: The

individual cigarettes or articles drawn from these contalners singlyare fed to the conveying groove 6 to 6 These conveying grooves, as explained in the main patent, contain special paths 7:, to k in which the cigarettes, each in their turn, pass before theeyes of the operator attending the machine. The

cigarettes 2' lie with one end projecting over the directing path so that they can be seized by the operator either by hand or by inserting suitable devices and can be turned into the correct position so that their inscription lies on top.

In accordance with the invention all the conveying devices 6 to 6 work simultaneously and in the following manner:

Six packages with the lower rows as fed by the conveyers, b, b are brought on to the conveyer-belt 0, and then the conveyer-belt c is pushed forward until the six packages lie opposite the conveying devices e to 6 The top layers for the six packages, brought in the meantime on the conveyer-belt 0 from the feed devices etc 6 are now pushed over across the lower layers by means of suitable known devices such as grippers and the like, whereupon the working process starts again.

The conveying devices 6 to 0 need only work at one-sixth the speed of the conveying devices I) and b as in fact the removal of the top layers from the conveying devices 6 to 6 does not take place again until six new packages are pushed forward with the lower layers. Whereas therefore the feeding of the lower layers through the conveying devices 6 and 12 takes place in the usual way uninterruptedly and at the usual speed, the feed devices 6 to 6 travel at a considerably slower speed so that the operator has sufiicient time in which to turn the cigarettes into the correct position. Naturally one special operator is required for each of the conveying grooves e to 0 The devices serving for passing the layers over to the conveyer-belt c from the conveyer-belts c to 6 the so-called catchers, must in this case work intermittently, i. e. after they have delivered one layer they remain at rest for a time until a further six lower layers have been pushed forward. However, in view of the time gained and in order to prevent the displacement of the correctly arranged cigarettes, one may allow the catcher, which works simultaneously with the feed devices 6 to e, to work at a co respondingly lower speed.

Moreover the device also serves to economize cigarettes when machines work at a high speed, cigarettes if taken and fed from a single container are not handled very economically and some tobacco is lost. By increasing the number of feeding devices and reducing the speed, the cigarettes are therefore handled more economically. In order to obtain the same economy in respect of the lower layers, corresponding arrangements can be made, that is to say, several containes can be provided for the feeding of the lower layers. The device with the two conveying devices Z) and 6 shown can therefore operate in such a manner that either three layers are placed one above another, that is to say that the conveying device 6 supplies the lowermost layer and the conveying device Z) the middle layer. The device can, however, also be designed in such a way that only two layers are packed one above another and the two devices I) and 6 each supply one lower layer. Further the conveying devices I) and b can rotate athalf the speed and the respective catchers work intermittently in a corresponding manner, while the conveyor-belt 0 alone runs without interruption. The finished packages are then fed by a feeding device to the packing machine.

Naturally the number of conveying devices both for the lower row as also for the top layer is optional; in this respect one is guided in each case by the circumstances and by the degree of eXactitude required.

I claim:- 1. A device for packing cigarettes, cigfeed devices for the top layers, a feed device for the lower layer, a common conveyer-belt running to the packing machine on which both types of devices work by first delivering the lower layer and then the top layers, said first mentioned devices conveying the articles to be packed at aspeed reduced in such a manner that during the same time a corresponding number of top layers and lower layers are delivered to the common conveyor belt.

3. A device for packing cigarettes, cigarillos or similar shaped articles with imprint, comprising in combination, several feed devices for the top layers, a common conveyer-belt running to the packing machine and on which said devices work and means delivering the several layers from the feed devices onto the conveyor belt and working intermittently.

PAUL GOTTSCHALK.

arillos or similar shaped articles with imprint, comprising in combination, several feed devices for the top layers, feed devices for the lower layers, a common conveyerbelt running to the packing machine on which both types of devices work by first delivering the lower layer and then the top layers, said first mentioned devices conveying the articles to be packed at a speed reduced in such a manner that during the same time a corresponding number of top layers and lower layers are delivered to the com mon conveyor belt.

2. A device for packing cigarettes, cigarillos or similar shaped articles with imprint, comprising in combination, several 

